The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
People love to talk about change. It is a natural occurrence for people that are enduring a similar situation to agree on the necessity of change and for them to agree on the things that need to change. However, people typically have conflicting ideas of how the change that is envisioned can actually be realized and what that change would look like. It is at the intersection of these two occurrences that is the ever present ingredient which threatens to halt any movement by a community of people who have deemed it necessary to affect a change in their accepted way of life.
This concept can be applied to even the simplest conflict. Let’s say two kids plop down on the couch at the exact same time and the TV is on a channel that neither of them wants to watch. They each have the same desire; a pleasurable viewing experience. However, each of them has a different perception of what a pleasurable viewing experience might be. What the two kids have is a conflict of interest although they have a similar objective. Although they agree on the necessity of change, they disagree on what that change should look like.
So now let’s say that these are two really bratty kids. Let’s say they are really stubborn and cannot agree on a single channel to watch. How can each of them get what they are in search of at the same time? How did they come to the conclusion that they cannot each have what they want at the same time? And furthermore, how did they become so dependent on the TV for stimulation….
When we translate the kid issues into adult conflicts, we will see how the only difference is the device…..sometimes. Within the concept of television is the underlying idea of information being readily accessible to the masses through a controlled medium. But even though everyone seems to have their own favorite channel, all of the programs have the same agenda; keep people watching.
The idea of revolution is one that has existed in the minds of the oppressed for as long as there has been oppression. As a community organizer, the idea of revolution continues to take on new definitions. The more I consider myself, and my roll in community reparation, the more I realize that my personal growth is instrumental in affecting any collective growth. It is not possible to affect true change unless I acknowledge aspects of myself that are perpetuating my oppression. In other words, the revolution is something that must happen within me; within you, and inside all of us as individuals.
